


Blitheful Side-Stories

by keegank



Series: LISA: The Blitheful [2]
Category: LISA (Video Games)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Not Canon Compliant, Self-Sacrifice, Vomiting, ohohoho im still on my bullshit, someone take my keyboard away please i beg, uhh tw for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24417424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keegank/pseuds/keegank
Summary: a series of side-stories for a completed work. read it if you haven't!
Relationships: Alex Churchland / Joel Miller, Benny "Beltboy" Oberwinch & Five
Series: LISA: The Blitheful [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763320
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	1. Salvation!

**Author's Note:**

> this is a prequel to team, but not quite- i've retconned a few things. you can still read that one and most of it is canon.  
> yeah, this is a fully-fledged au/series now. quarantine has been driving me crazy so this is what y'all get!
> 
> expect a few more of these.
> 
> also, apologies for there being no capitalization in this; my 'h' key broke, so i've been copy/pasting it, and i honestly can't be bothered to go back and copy both the lowercase and uppercase 'h' over and over again. it shouldn't be too big of a deal, though.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for five and beltboy, salvation came in the form of a busted up old isuzu.
> 
> for joel and alex, salvation came in the form of two kids and their truck.

olathian nights were a rarity, but welcomed all the same by beltboy. nights were always peaceful and silent-- an opportunity to sleep, or perhaps sneak into another camp and steal, but the danger was mostly gone. he took this calm as an opportunity to eat and regain some energy. five kept watch by their small fire pit, sleepless nearly every time they stopped to rest.

it had been two weeks or so since he’d stumbled into her hiding spot, gravely wounded and begging for companionship. she helped him, tied his stomach up with bandages to prevent his small intestine from falling out, and disinfected the gaping wound every day with the little alcohol they didn’t drink on their travels. but she didn't fully have confidence in him. she made no attempt to hide that fact, and he understood-- hell, he wouldn’t trust himself either. not in a world where every man she came across no doubt wanted a piece of her. he had no intentions of the sort with her, but he wasn’t going to convince her of that by saying so, so he didn’t try, preferring to do her favours and just… talk to her. like everything was normal. she seemed to appreciate it, that he’d make himself vulnerable and tell her about himself, tell her about his old life and those he’d lost, and not expect anything in return.

because he didn’t. he just needed a friend.

“so…” he said, nibbling on some horse jerky as five sipped from what was left of the day’s whiskey, her joy mask lying at her side. “five. that’s a cool name.”  
“you think so? i think it’s a stupid name. a number. imagine naming your kid four. or eleven.”  
“eleven sounds like it could be a nickname.” beltboy snickered.  
“a nickname for what?”  
“eleanor?” he suggested.  
“there are much better nicknames for eleanor than fucking eleven.” five replied with a snicker. they were rare, her laughs, but genuine-- all of them. “ella, nora, or lena or lenny or elle…”  
“i knew an ella once.” he shoved the last of the jerky in his mouth.  
“dead now, probably.”  
“dead before the flash,” he replied, staring into the fire. “drug problem. she overdosed.”  
“shit.”  
“yeah. my part of olathe had a big problem with that sort of thing, but it was all so… covered up. the houses were nice and everyone had a ride-on lawnmower and flower bushes in the front yard. the streets were free of graffiti, mom and pop shops on every corner. it was fake as hell. everyone was mean as dirt, all my friends’ parents were divorced or dead, and again- the drug thing. i don’t know where people got them ‘cause i never went looking, but they did, as kids, and the results were awful.”  
“that’s terrible.”  
“sure was. but it’s better than this.”  
“oh, of course.”  
“what was your part of olathe like?”

five swallowed the last of the contents in her bottle, her throat burning, and mulled it over.  
“well, i only got a few years in it, really. my parents kept me in this survival compound… it was like a farm, but no animals, and several other families living nearby, electrified fencing all around the place. oh, and a huge cellar, too, full of canned food. enough to last decades.”  
“wow.”  
“yeah, it was crazy. the women and kids were never allowed off, only the fathers went out to get food and clothes. they thought the outside world was evil, and that it’d destroy itself."  
“well... they weren’t wrong.”  
“no, and that’s the scary thing. they were right…” five rubbed her shoulders. “but I didn’t get to see the world beyond until i became an adult. and from what i saw and heard, my part of olathe was… normal. small, religious, and tight-knit, but other than that, normal.”  
“that sounds nice.”  
“it was. and there weren’t many people left after the flash, so i managed to escape from there okay.”  
“bet your survivalist training came in handy.”  
“it did.” she nodded, yawning. beltboy picked up on her tiredness quickly.

“you should sleep,” he commented, and five shook her head.  
“no. you sleep again tonight.”  
“i’ve slept enough. sooner or later you’ll pass out.”  
“i’ll be fine.”  
“you don’t trust me.” he said, and it came out more accusatory than he’d intended. she flushed, but nodded.  
“i don’t.”  
he sighed. “i get it-- but do you just… plan on not sleeping forever?”  
“obviously not.”  
“wait-- okay. what if you waited until i fell asleep and then you settle in?”  
“we’d be vulnerable. and i have no way of knowing if you’re really asleep.”  
he sighed, slouching. “you can’t keep this up.”  
“why do you care so much?”  
“one, i don’t want you to pass out at the worst possible moment. two, you’re my friend.”  
“i’ll be okay. you sleep.”  
“...okay. i will. just... please take care of yourself.” his tone was one of begging; the same tone he'd told her he needed a friend in.

five softened slightly. “i will. i’ll wake you if anything happens.”  
“alright. night.”  
“goodnight.”  
beltboy rolled onto his side, digging his head into a dent in the ground, using it as a sort of pillow. as he began to drift off, the oddest thing happened-- he heard trumpet music coming from the distance, slow and sorrowful. it was far away, but he heard it clearly, the chords pulling him into dormancy like a lullaby.

\---

there was no greater hell than dragging your only friend along a dusty path as he slowly died. despite how hard they worked to get there and all their hopes, the citygoers had rejected them. two old men, one dying. they had no hope of surviving on their own, and those men in the leather jackets knew it--yet they were turned away, left to trudge onward, marching to their deaths. the man who chose alex's life over his own didn't even shoot them a glance as he got on the bus.

alex, for a while, managed to trudge onwards, but it quickly turned into a stumble and eventually his legs gave out. joel had to drag him, one arm around his shoulders as his bandages filled with blood and leaked into his rags. as he became more overwhelmed with overexertion, vomit was added to the mess; more blood and thick chunks laced with red.  
it was one of the saddest things joel had ever seen. alex wouldn't resign to his fate, though, and instructed joel to tie his sopping bandages tighter and carry him, to keep moving no matter what-- the franchise was on its way and wouldn't stop for anything.

eventually, though, they had to rest. joel volunteered to keep watch, and alex agreed, in no state to stay awake. he lay in the dirt, pale, bloody, vomit-covered and ragged as joel put together a measly campfire. he looked like a corpse already.

it was a long time before either of them spoke again.  
"joel?" alex spoke at last, hoarse, tired and slow. had he been stabbed in the vocal cords?  
"yes?"  
"i've been thinking."  
"okay."  
"i want you to leave me here."  
joel blinked. "you're serious."  
"yes. i am. go on, run, and don't look back. lugging me is slowing you down, and the franchise is moving this way. if they catch you..."  
"i'm not leaving you behind, alex." he said, firm and stern.  
"i'm giving you my permission."  
"i see that. it's still not happening."  
"jesus christ," alex hissed, sitting up slightly. "look at me, joel. i'm going to die."  
"not here, you're not."  
"it's entirely possible i fall asleep and expire right here and this conversation won't matter."  
joel was silent.  
"just... consider it. please. you don't need to die, too. i don't want you to."  
"i'll be fine, lucky."  
"no, you won't be. they'll kill you. us, if i'm still alive."  
joel said nothing again, and alex hung his head slightly. "don't make me beg you, man."  
"i just..." joel rubbed his temples. "i can't believe life would give us to each other and then just take it back like that."  
"i can," alex grumbled. "life's a bastard."

they said nothing more, ending their somber two-man soliloquy, but before alex fell asleep, joel slipped his hand into alex's palm. it was comforting; he would have smiled were it not for the other circumstances. he drifted off peacefully, not quite contented-- but he thought that if he were to pass in his sleep there were worse ways to go.

alex slept with his mouth open, his remaining hair wild and messy, rags stained copper. joel tried to remember what he'd thought the first time he saw him-- how he went from a ragged stranger to the only one who mattered. he stayed awake all night, miserable, wanting to check his friend's pulse periodically but unable to bring himself to.  
still though, he didn't pray for morning.

when it finally came, joel tried to nudge his friend awake-- and to his delight and relief, he was successful. alex stirred, groaning as he registered tremendous pain in his neck. joel helped him to his feet and got him walking. they said nothing more on the matter of joel abandoning him; it was clear that wasn't happening. alex was frustrated, but accepted it; joel understood what he was doing. they continued to slowly and painfully trudge forward.

\---

for five and beltboy, salvation came in the form of a busted up old isuzu. traveling to find five's friends was hard on their bodies, especially considering beltboy's critical injury and the lengths they'd travelled before teaming up. the driver's side door was open, the seats covered in dust. there was a key lying on the dash. abandoned.

five clambered into the driver's seat, grabbed the key and shoved it into the ignition as benny got into the passenger seat carefully, trying hard not to aggravate his stomach wound.  
"where're we going?" he asked, turning to her and adjusting his jacket.  
"forward."  
"ooo, exciting." benny grinned as five put the truck in drive and hit the gas pedal.

\---

for joel and alex, salvation came in the form of two kids and their truck. alex had one foot in the grave, white as snow, completely unable to stand. joel had to carry him once more. he wasn't entirely sure why he didn't just prop the old man up against a rock and put him out of his misery. was it hope, plain foolishness, or something else that kept him going? he wasn't sure.

he couldn't help but perk up when a truck came rolling up; could these men help? he took one hand from under alex and waved frantically, praying they'd stop. they did. the side door opened, and a short man with liberty spikes shuffled out, heading over to them.

"holy shit, are you okay? you both look like hell!"  
"we're not doing so hot, actually," joel replied, hoisting alex up in his arms a little. "specially not this one."  
"i can see that," the man said, "c'mere, get in the back of the truck-- we'll help."  
"thank you." as joel passed, he saw only one other person in the vehicle, their face obscured by a strange pink mask-- oddly similar to the masked man they'd seen at house dust, except this mask had dimples for some reason. joel hopped into the back of the truck, laying alex down while the man in the leather jacket got a few things from the backseat.  
when he gathered the needed items- fresh bandages and whiskey- he returned to them, pulling back alex's rags. he cringed at the sight.

"jesus... how long has he been like this?"  
"few days..."  
"what happened?" the man moved back the bandages. they were crusty with blood and sick. they stuck to his wound for a moment, eventually tearing away.  
"he got stabbed," joel admitted as the younger man scraped some of alex's blood off his neck with his fingers to get to the gash. "i tied him up the best i could, but..."  
"i get it." he poured a bit of the whiskey onto the older man's injury. he groaned slightly, but otherwise didn't react. "there... that should keep it from getting infected."  
"thank you." he nodded, fully taking off the old bandages and wrapping the new ones around alex's wound tightly.  
"course." he turned to joel. "i'm benny. the-" he paused for a second. "guy with me is five."  
"joel," he said, outstretching his hand. benny shook it, his grip not as firm nor sure as joel's. "that's alex. he's a great guy when he isn't bleeding to death, i assure you."  
benny laughed. "we'll see. you try and relax, now, we're gonna head off."  
joel sat as benny hopped down, getting back into the truck. a second later, the engine hummed to life, and they were off once more.

\---

the next few days were difficult, but eventually alex, through rest, regained the ability to sit up and sip a bit from bottles of soup. five was angry when benny suggested feeding the two men, but he fed them anyway.

"do you value their lives over ours?" she asked. she'd been unable (or unwilling) to take her mask off since alex and joel had joined them.  
"of course not!" benny said, getting angry as well. "i only want to give them one bottle- we aren't going to starve anytime soon!"  
"we will if we have double the mouths to feed."  
benny said nothing.  
"are you going to save every old man you find dying on the side of the road?"  
"please... don't argue with me about this." benny murmured. "stop the truck. let me help them."  
five sighed, dropping it. she placed her foot off the pedal, and benny rolled out.

\---

a bit of whiskey the boy had given him was enough to blunt the edge of alex's pain, and no more. his mind was hazier than ever; he went about his days (weeks? he couldn't be sure) in a light serenade of nausea and suffering. it was torment, the mixing of conscious and subconscious, day and evening. eventually, though, that throbbing pain gave way to mild discomfort.  
he'd had worse.

one day- in the early hours of the morning-- he awoke more lucid than before. he was breathing, even if short of breath; his body felt as though his chest were filled with cotton. he felt a firm weight on his shoulder, and slowly registered it as joel's hand. he was sitting next to him.  
he smiled, nestling slightly into the body beside him, and joel spoke up.

"look who's awake."  
"i know. it's about time." his voice sounded a lot better than it did the last time he'd attempted to talk, but it was still strained and raspy; for a moment he was afraid he'd sustained damage to his vocal cords, but pushed the thought out of his mind for now. "how long has it been, anyway?"  
"since you got the wounds, or...?"  
"since we got on this truck."  
"hard to tell, with the nights and all..." joel rubbed his chin. "i'd say... five days?"  
"all right." alex sat up, pulling away from the other man. "where are we going? are we on our way to the city?"  
"i don't know, and i don't think so."  
alex sighed. "well... at least i'm not dead."  
"ah, don't jinx it!" joel knocked on the bottom of the vehicle.  
to his surprise, it stopped.

the driver's side door opened, and the man in the pink mask got out. he pulled himself into the back of the truck and looked alex over.  
"are you feeling better?"  
"not really. i feel like i've been thrown into a shredder."  
"can you walk?"  
"i haven't tried."

alex pushed off of the floor to try and stand up. immediately, he felt dizzy, and his whole body screamed in protest. he sat back down. "no. no, i can't."  
"okay."  
joel narrowed his eyes. "you're not gonna kick us out once he can stand, are you?"  
"what? of course we are." five seemed incredulous. "what did you expect?"  
"i think it's been made clear enough that we can't survive like this," joel said angrily. "what if those wounds were to get infected again?!"  
"not my problem," five said simply. "we did what we could. the rest is up to you."  
"and you'd feel fine, knowing two old men were out there dyin' because of you?"  
"i think i'd be able to sleep at night, yes."  
joel scowled as five got back into the truck.  
"what a bastard."  
"ah, well... we've made it this far, right?" alex managed to grin at the well-hatted man beside him, showing off his thoroughly mangled teeth. joel couldn't help but smile back.  
"yeah. we'll get to rest one day, lucky, i promise."  
"i sure hope you're right."

\---

a few hours later, benny came back out with more bandages and more whiskey. he pulled alex's rags to the side once more, taking the bandages off to assess the damage.

"how's it looking, doc?" alex tried to joke.  
"not too bad, honestly!" benny grinned, taking the whiskey and pouring a bit of it over the deepest cuts. alex winced. "it's still bleedin', but not nearly as much... just a dribble. i think you're gonna be fine, old man!"  
"ah, perfect... thank you. i'll just wait 'til i can walk again, and then we'll be on our way."  
"what d'you mean?" benny lifted up his sunglasses and squinted.  
"you're kicking us out," joel said. benny blinked.  
"no we're not!" he relaxed his shoulders slightly. "...what did five tell you?"  
"that you're throwin' us out once alex is better."  
"no, no, that's...." benny sighed. "i'll talk to he- him. if you leave any time soon, you'll die."  
"we know."  
"i'll sort this out, don't worry... for now just keep resting."  
"that's what i plan to do," alex nodded as benny hopped out of the back of the truck.

\---

"what the FUCK did you tell them?" benny asked, sliding into the passenger's seat.  
"huh?" five pulled her mask up.  
benny shut the door, getting his leather jacket stuck. he yanked it out. "you said we were gonna abandon them!"  
"i mean, duh," she rolled her eyes, starting the vehicle up again. "what, d'you wanna keep them forever? like pets?"  
"don't patronize me!" benny snapped. "we're keeping them until alex heals, at least."  
"you memorized their names?"  
"you DIDN'T?"  
"of course not! it's supposed to be just you and me until we find the others!"  
"so what if we bring two more people along?"  
"NEED I REMIND YOU?" five took one hand off the wheel to gesture at her body. "if we bring them they'll figure out i'm a woman eventually, and then what happens? it's FAR too risky."  
"we could just tell them! 'sides, they're old-- neither of them can probably get it up anyway."  
"they could spread rumors around olathe."  
"you hear rumors of a woman every other week." benny waved his hand.  
"more people with their eyes peeled won't be good, benny. there are always those stupid dipshits who believe."  
"but... i just don't want to leave them to die. i could have ended up the same way."  
five exhaled. "and you see yourself in them."  
"kind of."  
"...goddamn it. fuck it. they're joining us! but if they try anything with me i'm killing them both. got it?"  
"totally fair. so are we telling them what we're doing? and that you're..."  
"a woman? yes. and yes. eventually. but when the bearded one gets better. so i know if he'll try and attack me or not."  
"alright!" benny beamed, happy that he won. "we'll need to stock up on food and whiskey..."  
five simply set her attention on the road, gritting her teeth and waiting for a world of suck to hit the fan.

\---

alex's recovery was nothing short of miraculous. it only took him a few days more for him to be able to stand without nausea, and a few after for him to walk a few very unsteady laps around the back of the truck.

"think i'm about ready to be back on my feet," he mused to joel.  
"you sure, lucky?" he asked worriedly. "you can take all the time you need to get better, y'know..."  
"i did. and i'm ready." he said firmly, and joel nodded.  
"if you say so."

the next time the truck stopped, both benny and five got out. benny hopped into the back, but five stood back, arms crossed.  
"good news!" he said merrily. "we're keeping you both."  
"is that debatable?" alex asked, and benny snickered.  
"well, i mean... obviously you're not doing too great by yourselves, so we're willing to take you along. on one condition: you guys be cool about something."  
"cool about what?"  
benny turned to five, who sighed and took off her mask. it was hard to see from that distance, but the curve of his face felt so... distinctly feminine...

"jesus christ," joel said, expressing openly the astonishment alex felt. "you're a woman."  
"no shit," five said as she pulled the mask back on. "try anything with me and i kill you."  
"...noted." joel was seemingly still processing five's existence. "but... how."  
"...i was kept alive as part of some... plot by buzzo and his joy runners." she said, hesitating. "i don't have all the details, but i was kept in some complex and escaped with some other women. we're looking for them now. and thanks to this dipshit, you're coming with us."  
"yeah! it'll be fun." benny grinned. alex wholeheartedly doubted it.  
"we have our own places we want to go, you know," he spoke up.  
five scowled. "like where?"  
"the city."  
"the city?" she glanced up in alarm. "you don't want to go there, trust me."  
"you've been there?" joel asked, suddenly excited.  
"no, but buzzo's gang provided a lot of joy to the city... there's a horrible problem there. i'd assume there's mutants everywhere, and so much violence..."  
alex frowned, feeling something in him dissapear. "so... it's not worth it."  
"definitely not. you might as well come with us." five turned away, and benny went to follow her, but before she got back into the truck she turned back to the two old men.  
"we'll be stopping tomorrow for supplies, just so you know."

"huh," joel rested back. "i guess it was a good thing we weren't let on the bus after all, eh lucky?"  
alex said nothing.

\---

the next few days were uneventful; though alex and joel did upgrade to "backseat" status and five noticed that there were less and less people around camping or setting up shops the further they went.  
"oh, i hope we aren't in warlord territory," benny whined nervously.  
"speakin' of which, can you old men fight?" five turned to them, and alex nodded.  
"i know... hand-to-hand combat," he said, not wanting to explain the intricacies of velvet-fu. "and he has a gun."  
"good."

they rode in silence until the ground began to turn blue, bloodstains soaking into the grass. alex saw some red skulls suspended by sticks poking into the dirt and felt ill.  
a large pillar rose up from the ground in the distance. benny noticed it quickly, and pointed at it.  
"what's that?" he asked, and five shrugged.  
"dunno."  
"drive over, i wanna see what it's all about," he said, and five complied.

buddy, meanwhile, was utterly floored. she’d seen a truck come up in the distance from her place atop the list as she played her trumpet, surrounded by joy mutants. she was confused. another group of men trying to find her and capture her? really? despite her reputation, despite all the horrific figures that surrounded her? with her trumpet, she demanded that one carry her down, and it did, on its back, onto the top of the truck. she looked inside.

the men in the front seat didn’t seem like your typical thugs-- two old men, one in a snazzy coat and hat, the other, a scraggly, bearded man; hobo-ish. behind them, however, was clearly some kind of gangster-- liberty spikes, sunglasses, and an open jacket that showed off his nipples, plus another person she couldn’t make out. buddy lifted her trumpet to her lips once more, and a different mutant, twisted beyond all belief, sprung into action behind her, tearing her sword from its place in the earth and throwing it at her. she made to catch it, but it clattered onto the still-moving vehicle and lay still. she took it in her hands. her skills were rusty. this wouldn't stop her.

buddy raised her sword, thrusting the hilt into the truck, through the metal. a scream erupted from within, and the vehicle swerved. buddy gripped her sword to keep from being thrown off as the driver's side door opened and a masked face poked out.  
"we're being attacked!" it shouted. "benny, take the wheel!"

buddy wrenched her blade from the truck, bracing herself as more doors opened and the two old men climbed to the top of the vehicle. the hobo began grappling with her, trying to kick her and knock her off. she swung her sword in his direction; he threw himself back to dodge her, knocking himself off balance. she went to swing again, but was temporarily distracted by shouting nearby.

"HEY!" buddy looked up to see a gun pointed directly at her. she froze. the man with the gun was glaring at her, his eyes barely visible under his hat. he certainly had a presence. buddy hated him.  
"go on. take a swipe at him." he urged her. "you'll have a bullet in your head before his blood hits the ground."  
buddy grit her teeth, stepping back. before she could figure out what to do next, the hobo got up and rushed back to his fellow, his finger never leaving the trigger. 

suddenly, buddy felt hands on her neck-- she'd forgotten the third one. panicking, she flailed, elbowing her attacker in the gut; they grunted, falling back, flying off the truck and landing in a heap in the dirt. 

"oh, now you're really gonna get it!" the gunman growled, trying to take aim-- as fast as she could, buddy rushed at him and clashed into him. he grabbed onto his hobo friend to keep from falling off, but his gun wasn't so lucky-- he yelped as he dropped it and it went flying, crashing against a pole. 

"NO!!" he reached for it, but his companion pulled him back.  
"we can go back for it later! right now we have bigger problems," he said, piercing green eyes on buddy. she raised her sword once more, but before she could do anything the truck swerved sharply and the three lost balance. as buddy fell, she saw why they'd turned-- they nearly ran into a joy mutant. she braced for landing and managed to keep from sustaining any real damage. she couldn't say the same for the two old men-- she could hear their grunts of pain as they made impact with the ground. 

buddy got up and made her way, first, over to the one who tried to strangle her. they tried to get up as soon as they saw her, but failed, and tried crawling away as buddy got closer, grunting in pain all the while.  
buddy turned them around, staring at them coldly as she raised her sword. 

then... the attacker's mask slipped. buddy saw the fear in their eyes, the scars on their face... the ponytail. the feminine curve to their face. buddy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped; she couldn't help it. 

"are you a woman?” buddy demanded, losing all air of power for a brief moment.  
“...y-yes.” the attacker breathed, rubbing her windpipe. she seemed winded.  
“what the fuck?" buddy swore. "i thought--”  
“that it was only you? it isn’t...”  
“...are there more?” buddy asked, gazing into the other woman's baby blues. she nodded.  
“yes. at least, I hope so..."  
buddy was utterly floored by this. she put her sword away and began to pace, rubbing her forehead.  
“holy shit. holy shit, and... you're going to find them?”

staying isolated at the list wasn't good for buddy; she knew it. it had been so long since her rampage, wiping out all of east and west olathe... there were no men left, nor were those who stayed alive in the northern, southern and outer regions foolhardy enough to travel through. unless they were unaware, which barely anyone was-- minus these people of course.  
buddy was so lonely with only the mutants to keep her company. she needed adventure, she needed purpose... she made up her mind right then and there.

"i'm coming with you."  
"no, you're not." buddy felt the muzzle of a gun on the back of her head. the other two had caught up to them. she heard a new voice and realized it was three.  
"guys, what the fuck is going on? are you okay?"  
"this bitch tried to kill us all," the gunman spat. "and now she wants to come with us."  
"SHE?"  
"she," five confirmed. "buddy armstrong, correct?" she nodded. "i've heard whisperings about you. wiped out half of olathe in a week."  
“i can help you.” buddy insisted.  
“help us’, how?” asked the hobo.  
“i can fight.”  
“so can we.”  
“i know how to scavenge.”  
“so do we.”  
"i've gotten pretty good at it, if i do say so myself." said the be-hatted man. not a great time to brag, buddy thought.  
“this kid killed every warlord on that list over there single-handedly.” said the hobo angrily.  
buddy blinked. was that what people thought? she only killed seven, and rando helped with beautiful, hernandez and van dam.  
god, she’d never get those names out of her head.  
“she could kill us in our sleep no problem.” he went on, looking around at his fellows.  
“don’t touch me, and i’ll have no reason to. even if you don't let me come with, i'll follow you. unless you kill me here and now."

the gunman grit his teeth, putting his gun back into its holster. "fuck. jesus christ, this... this is fucked."

the hobo sighed. “get in the back.” he said, very begrudgingly. and buddy did, unaware of the way her life would change in the weeks afterward, or just how drastic those changes would be.

\---

it didn't take long for the group to warm up to one another- minus buddy, who kept to herself. one night, they were sitting in different spots around a campfire- minus buddy, who sat on the hood of the isuzu- shooting the shit, joking and reciting old olathian folk songs until benny posed a question that made them all ponder.

"so... when we find the other women, what do we do?"  
five put down her bottle and glanced at him.  
"what d'you mean?"  
"i mean, where do we go from there? how do we keep them safe?"  
"i was thinking," alex spoke up. "the city's a bust, right? so we make our own colony."  
"hey, yeah! that could really work!" benny grinned. "build little shacks made of mud and metal panes..."  
"maybe a farm?" joel added.  
"yes! we'll need to find a place not claimed by people already, though," alex pointed out, prompting buddy to speak.  
"no one passes through the east or west anymore since they know that's my territory." buddy offered. he others were surprised to hear her talk. "we could use the spot by the list."  
"perfect! this is shaping up real nice." benny grinned. "man, i can't wait. finally, we get to relax in a nice, safe little space..."  
"not yet, though." five reminded him. "for now... we should rest. we need to get back on the road tomorrow."  
"guess you're right," buddy slid off the hood of the truck. "i call the backseat. night, all."  
and before anyone could object, she clambered into the truck as the others settled in. she curled up and fell asleep in no time at all.


	2. Hickory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a small snippet of life in the village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've decided to turn this into a small series of blitheful side-stories. im not very proud of the original project anymore, but the original concept was too wholesome for me to just drop it.
> 
> if i retcon anything, it's intentional.

alex awoke to silence; sleet was no longer pounding against the roof. it had stopped during the night. he had a thick, scruffy blanket wrapped around his entire body and joel's warmth at his side, but he was still cold.  
what a funny thing. olathe was normally so warm. he hadn't been cold in ages.

normally, he'd roll over and go back to sleep, regain some more energy-- or at least conserve it. but for once, he had something to do that day. he got up gingerly, his entire body aching in protest, the mattress springs creaking along with his old bones. joel shifted, stirring, confused.

"lucky?" his voice was hoarse. he opened his eyes. "where're you going?"  
"out. i'll be back soon, don't worry."  
"alright. i can go back to sleep?"  
"yes, dear. i'll come back soon."  
"okay. stay safe."  
"of course." alex smiled at him, and joel relaxed again. the shorter man left their little shack, lifting away the red curtain that passed for a door and heading off down the barely-cobbled roads. a few people were awake, two or three. he saw dire tending to the farm. she said hello as he passed by. he heard a trumpet playing in the distance.

alex left the group of huts and shacks, passing by a joy mutant or two as he walked. they were a normal sight, and never attacked- buddy kept them under control. he continued on, aching, stumbling a few times with the effort of walking, until he came to a tree quite a ways off. he smiled, stepping up and stroking the trunk. firm, smooth hickory. this was perfect.

he took a pocket knife out from his pocket and began to cut one of the thicker, lower-hanging branches away; it wasn't perfect length, but he wouldn't risk climbing it; he was too sore and out of shape for that. he was halfway through before he heard a voice behind him; calm, yet firm. he recognized it right away.

"what are you doing?" buddy asked him. he turned to face her. five had done her hair again before she left for another one of her excursions with benny, but it was undone again-- matted and messy. it always ended up that way.  
"taking off a branch."  
"why?"   
"i'm making myself a cane." he explained.  
"cane?"  
"yes. it'll help me walk."  
"you can walk okay..." buddy squinted. he nodded calmly.  
"i can still walk, yeah. but it's difficult, and it's only going to get worse, my rheumatism's been acting something terrible."  
"huh. okay. can i help?"  
"sure." he looked back at the tree. "can you climb this?"  
"yeah."  
"alright, here." he handed her the pocket knife. "take this, and cut off one of those big thick branches near the middle."

buddy nodded, making her way up the tree. it was very easy for her, being as skinny and nimble as she was. she began sawing away at a branch she deemed large enough, breaking it off and tossing it down before following it back to the earth.  
"thanks." alex took it, glancing back at the branch he was sawing at earlier. "hey.. you wanna make one, too?"  
buddy perked up.

they brought it off the tree and alex showed her how to whittle it down, peeling away the bark to reveal the smooth, slippery wood underneath. they standed their sticks over and over again until the sharp knots became smooth humps and the stick was as smooth as velvet. buddy's was short, but straight, with a fork at the top like a Y. alex's was long and bent at the end like a real cane.  
"they look like they could break easy," buddy'd said, gazing at her stick. alex shook his head, turning his own over in his gnarled hands.  
"no. they look delicate, but they're strong. like you."  
buddy smiled, seemingly liking this metaphor. "it's hickory wood," he went on. "nothing's stronger than hickory. this stick'll come in handy for you, you'll see."  
"okay." buddy took her stick, propping it up. "thank you."  
"of course. now, you wanna go back? joel's waiting for me."  
buddy nodded. "maybe we'll find some dried berries on the bushes on the way home."  
"sure. that'd be a nice treat." alex stood up, gripping his new cane. he put his weight on it and smiled; it helped. "say, did you have breakfast?"  
"no."  
"you have to get in the habit of eating more. you're as skinny as a willow whip. i'll get you something to eat."  
buddy nodded, following the older man back to the village.

they didn't have much to eat; not really. they had enough, but not a surplus, which was why benny and five were always away, bartering and stealing. alex decided to give buddy a small can of peaches. she ate them without complaint, sitting at the small, rickety table they had.  
while she ate, buddy imagined the riches she'd heard about in stories the others had told her- people before the flash, who had more food than they could eat. they covered tables like this one with food, and what they couldn't eat- not didn't, couldn't eat, they threw into huge metal cans with locks. it was hard for her to imagine such riches, even as she sucked down the excess juice from the peaches. having so much food you could throw some away.  
when she was done, she pulled a pink twisty tie from her pocket and fiddled with it. 

"you done?"  
"yeah. thanks."  
alex nodded and took the can, placing it in a knapsack to use for storage later.  
"course, hon. we promised benny we wouldn't let you starve while he was gone. though, of course, we wouldn't have either way-"  
"i know." buddy interrupted him. joel chuckled.  
"you're welcome here any time."  
buddy beamed. times like this were, she supposed, the closest she'd get to that pre-flash fantasy-- smilesville, she thought of it as, where candy grew on trees and everyone was happy and nice. 

"thanks. but i need to go! we're fresh out of nuts, i need to get the mutants to go find some."  
"okay. stay safe, buddy."  
the small girl nodded, putting her tie back and picking up her stick. she hesitated for a moment, giving alex a quick hug before hurrying out the door.  
the older man smiled, joel chuckling along behind him.  
"y'know, i think she cares about you more than she lets on, lucky."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this one around the same time as salvation!, which is why it's all lowercase. i never got around to publishing it until now

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact: i wasn't originally going to post this but a friend bullied me into it. thanks a lot, annie, this is now dedicated to you


End file.
